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The Gingerbread Man’s Cousins.
The Gingerbread Man is far from being an exclusively English tale. There are stories of runaway cakes from Norway and Germany (see D.L. Ashliman), and apparently 33 versions from Ireland. An American version of the Gingerbread Boy was printed in the St. Nicholas Magazine of 1875. In this, the old man and the old woman who begin the story are lacking a child, and the runaway gingerbread can be seen as an adopted substitute. He jumps out of the oven which some people see as a symbol for the womb. The fox that does for the Gingerbread Boy isn’t quite as smart as in Joseph Jacobs’ “English” version which we follow on Storynory. Instead of tricking the speedy cake, he outruns him.
Most run-away cake tales have “cumulative” structures. The fugitive’s boast that he can outrun anyone grows with each encounter. As his boast gets longer and longer, you start to feel uneasily that he must be heading for disaster – and you are right. Other well-known cumulative tales include The House That Jack Built and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.
More information at the excellent resource for folklore, SurLaLune.
I like this story but I don’t like having to download it
I like this story but I think it is a pane in the neck to have to download it
Dear Anonymous,
We could let people write stories, and we could publish the texts – as we have done in the past actually – but I don’t think we have the resources for Natasha to read them. Would publishing texts be enough for you?
every story should be exiting and short and every child should be very happy before it starts
very nice storys but I would prefer the storys if they were a bit shorter and I think you shoud also let people write there own
amazing eh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi kk
You’re never too old for Bertie Stories ! Thanks for telling s though.
The Gingerbread Man’s Cousins is just a background piece – sorry it’s bit confusing and keeps on appearing in our archives – but that’s why there isn’t a audio link.
i cant find the link and by the way i am a 11year old even though i am old for fairy tales i am not old for berties stories!
Hi Sophia
The first Bertie story is this one
http://storynory.com/2006/02/12/how-prince-bertie-became-bertie-the-frog/
Hope you enjoy it
can you tell me? please
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bertie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
what’s the first story about Bertie?
Cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Nice story
cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Ariel,
The gingerbreadman’s cousins keeps popping back in archives by some gremlin. It’s a background piece, not a story.
But our archive does have over 100 FREE stories, and a new one every week.
If you mean the Audible offer in the sidebar, that’s separate from Storynory.
Can you send me more FREE stories ?!
Can you send me more FREE stories
asome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I’m afraid I do not see the file for download on this one :( I love this site, though, and so do my young children! Thanks!
coooooooooooooool
sort
thanks
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